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From Al-Tersana and Al-Ahly to the position of coach of the Egyptian national team... a long journey for a former player who turned into one of the most prominent coaching faces in the Egyptian League, and now he faces the biggest test in his career.
In a step that carries implications that go beyond merely changing the technical staff, the Board of Directors of the Egyptian Football Association, headed by Engineer Hani Abu Rida, announced the assignment of Ali Maher, the former technical director of Cleopatra Ceramica, to lead the first national team, succeeding Hossam Hassan, to whom the Federation thanked him and his supporting staff.
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Maher's selection comes as an extension of the policy of giving opportunities to promising Egyptian training cadres, and relying on local experiences that have proven their presence in Egyptian competitions, after the new coach succeeded in leaving his mark with a number of clubs, and provided remarkable experiences in developing players and creating talent.
Between welcome and skepticism
The decision sparked widespread interaction among social media users, as participant Karim Khattab Al-Suwaifi welcomed the appointment.
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Likewise, participant Mahmoud Saad, who said he was optimistic about this step.
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The Great Pharaoh participant also wished Captain Ali Maher success, advising him to be fair.
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Participant Ahmed Al-Asnawi described Captain Ali Maher as a respectable man.
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But there is another group that objected to this appointment, including participant Muhammad, who doubted the extent of Ali Maher’s ability to carry out this task.
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This was also the position of participant Muhammad Al-Masry, who believed that nepotism was behind this appointment, as he put it.
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There were also those who pointed out the rumored reason behind the dismissal of former technical director Hossam Hassan, which was his dispute with Egyptian star Mohamed Salah, such as participant Mohamed Salouma Mohamed, who sarcastically warned Captain Ali Maher against the dispute with Salah.
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Arriving at the position of technical director of the Pharaohs was the culmination of a journey that began more than three decades ago, between the Egyptian and Saudi stadiums, then the seats of the technical staff and leadership of the clubs in the Premier League.
Ali Maher was born on December 3, 1973, and began his career in 1989 in the youth sector in Al-Tersana, before being promoted to the first team in 1991. He had a professional experience with Al-Ansar Saudi Arabia in the 1994-1995 season, then joined Al-Ahly, which he represented until 2002.
He was known as a striker with a scoring sense, but a severe injury affected his career, so he retired in 2004 after his last experience with Enppi.
Internationally, he won gold with the Olympic team in the 1995 African Games in Harare, and scored two goals in the final against Zimbabwe, which ended in a 3-1 victory for Egypt. He also participated with the senior team in the 1996 African Cup of Nations in South Africa, and scored against Cameroon.
After retirement, Maher began working in the youth sector in Al-Ahly, then joined the technical staff of the first team, and worked as an assistant to coaches, most notably Juan Carlos Garrido, Mohamed Youssef, Fathi Mabrouk, and Abdel Aziz Abdel Shafi.
During that period, he participated in winning the 2013 CAF Champions League and the 2014 Confederation Cup, in addition to other tournaments.
In the 2015-2016 season, he began his experience as a technical director with Future Stars, then Al-Tersana, and moved to the Premier League through Al-Assiouty Sport in the 2017-2018 season, before coaching Smouha, Enppi, Al-Masry, Future, and Ceramica Cleopatra.
He won the Club League Cup with Future in the 2021-2022 season, and also won the Egypt Capital Cup with Ceramica Cleopatra, leading him to fourth place in the league last season with 44 points, which is the best result in the club’s history in the competition.
Ali Maher's name was associated with developing young players and giving them the opportunity, and among the most prominent names that emerged during his experiences were Mahmoud Hassan Trezeguet, Islam Issa, and the late Ahmed Refaat, who starred with Future.
This places the issue of discovering talent and expanding the base of options before him among the most prominent challenges of his new mission with the national team.
Away from the stadiums, Ali Maher had a limited acting experience, which began in 2005 with the movie “Sayed Al-Atifi” with Tamer Hosni, Abla Kamel, Nour and Zeina, and appeared with his true personality as an Al-Ahly player.
In 2006, he participated in the movie “Haha and Tuffaha” as a doctor, and the movie “Cinderella in Arabic,” before appearing in the series “Al-Furiji” in 2010 with Ahmed Adam, thus collecting four artistic participations, before devoting himself to his training career.
First test
Maher began his mission in the national team camp on November 9, in preparation for facing Malawi in the third and fourth rounds of the 2027 African Cup of Nations qualifiers, on November 13 in Cairo and November 17 in Malawi.
His first list witnessed the return of Mohamed El-Shenawy, Mahmoud Hamdy El-Wansh, Nasser Maher and Mohamed Shehata, in addition to the first appearance of Mahmoud Mamdouh. The coach also faces the challenge of forming an integrated technical staff that suits his vision.
Thus, from a player who wore the Al-Ahly and national team shirts, to a coach who went through multiple experiences, Ali Maher today reaches the most important stations in his career. Will his experience succeed in leading the Pharaohs towards a new stage? The ball is now in his court.
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